Device management apparatus, device management system, and device management method

ABSTRACT

A device management apparatus connected to a plurality of devices via a network includes a collecting unit that receives usage data indicating a status of use of each of the devices from each of the devices and that stores the received usage data in a storage device, and a common data acquiring unit that acquires common data that is common to the devices from the usage data of each of the devices stored in the storage device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/667,777 filed on Nov. 2, 2012, which claims priority toJapanese Patent Application No. 2011-242744 filed in Japan on Nov. 4,2011 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-217439 filed in Japan onSep. 28, 2012. The entire contents of each of the above are incorporatedby reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a device management apparatus, a devicemanagement system, and a device management method.

2. Description of the Related Art

Conventionally, services that monitor information on devices, such asimage forming apparatuses, on a network and issue reports of monitoringresults have been provided by various service providers or the like.

For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2005-108217discloses a technology, in which, to access a monitored device amongdevices communicably connected to a network, at least one communicationprotocol supported by the device is used to access an externalinformation storage unit to thereby acquire information for access tothe device, the information for access to the device acquired from theexternal storage unit is stored in an internal storage table, acommunication protocol is selected from a plurality of communicationprotocols, and the access to the device is enabled by using the selectedcommunication protocol and the information stored in the internalstorage table.

Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2008-77649discloses a method for acquiring information concerning a monitoreddevice on a HTTP-based network in order to acquire a uniform vendor nameand/or product model name when different vendor names and/or productmodel names are present.

However, in the conventional technologies, while information is acquiredfrom various devices in an office, the information is only accumulatedand reported. Therefore, there is a demand to acquire information fromdifferent types of devices and provide various services based on acombination of the acquired information and the like.

Therefore, there is a need to provide a device management apparatus, adevice management system, and a device management method capable ofacquiring the status of use from a plurality of devices and providingvarious services.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to at least partially solve theproblems in the conventional technology.

A device management apparatus connected to a plurality of devices via anetwork, the device management apparatus comprising: a collecting unitconfigured to receive usage data indicating a status of use of each ofthe devices from each of the devices and store the received usage datain a storage device; and a common data acquiring unit configured toobtain common data that is common to the devices from the usage data ofeach of the devices stored in the storage device.

A device management system comprising: a plurality of devices; and adevice management apparatus connected to the devices via a network,wherein each of the devices transmits usage data indicating a status ofuse of each of the devices to the device management apparatus.

And the device management apparatus includes: a collecting unitconfigured to receive the usage data from each of the devices and storethe received usage data in a storage device; and a common data acquiringunit configured to obtain common data that is common to the devices fromthe usage data of each of the devices stored in the storage device.

A device management method executed by a device management system thatincludes a plurality of devices and a device management apparatusconnected to the devices via a network.

And the device management method comprising: transmitting, by each ofthe devices, usage data indicating a status of use of each of thedevices to the device management apparatus; receiving, by the devicemanagement apparatus, the usage data from each of the devices; storing,by the device management apparatus, the usage data received from each ofthe devices; and obtaining, by the device management apparatus, commondata that is common to the devices from the usage data of each of thedevices stored in the storage device.

The above and other objects, features, advantages and technical andindustrial significance of this invention will be better understood byreading the following detailed description of presently preferredembodiments of the invention, when considered in connection with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a network configuration of adevice management system and a functional configuration of a devicemanagement apparatus according to a first embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of a device management DB;

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of usage data of amultifunction peripheral, and is segmentalized and each segment partsare placed up and down because of its wideness;

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of usage data of aprojector, and is segmentalized and each segment parts are placed up anddown because of its wideness;

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of a conferenceinformation input screen according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of a device managementprocess according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of a common data conversionprocess;

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an example of conference information,the number of reduced sheets, and a sheet reduction effect according tothe first embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining an example of a report according tothe first embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a network configuration of adevice management system and a functional configuration of a devicemanagement apparatus according to a second embodiment;

FIG. 11 illustrates an example of usage data of each of a TV conferenceterminal and a media board, and is segmentalized and each segment partsare placed up and down because of its wideness;

FIG. 12 illustrates an example of conference history data according tothe second embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an example of a conferenceinformation input screen according to the second embodiment;

FIGS. 14A and 14B are diagrams for explaining calculation of common dataof a TV conference terminal or a media board as the other party;

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of a device managementprocess according to the second embodiment;

FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining a display example of a generatedreport according to the second embodiment;

FIG. 17 illustrates an example of inter-location cost data;

FIGS. 18A and 18B are diagrams for explaining calculation of a costreduction effect according to a third embodiment;

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of a provision datacalculation process according to the third embodiment;

FIG. 20 is a diagram for explaining a display example of a generatedreport according to the third embodiment; and

FIGS. 21A and 21B illustrate an example of usage data according to amodification in diagram forms, each diagram is segmentalized and eachsegment parts are placed up and down because of its wideness, and eachFIGS. 21A and 21B need to be cross-referred.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be explained indetail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First Embodiment

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a network configuration of adevice management system and a functional configuration of a devicemanagement apparatus according to a first embodiment. The devicemanagement system according to the first embodiment includes, asillustrated in FIG. 1, a plurality of devices, such as a multifunctionperipheral (MFP) 200 and a projector 300, and a device managementapparatus 100, all of which are connected to a network, such as theInternet or a local area network (LAN). In the first embodiment, thedevices connected to the device management apparatus 100 include devicesof different types, such as the MFP 200 and the projector 300.

The MFP 200 is an image forming apparatus equipped with at least any twoof a copy function, a printer function, a scanner function, and afacsimile function. In the first embodiment, the MFP 200 is equippedwith at least a printer function. The projector 300 is an image displaydevice that projects an image.

In the first embodiment, the MFP 200 and the projector 300 are describedas examples of the devices; however, the present invention is notlimited thereto. For example, an image forming apparatus, such as acopier, a scanner, a printer, or a facsimile machine, other than an MFP,or other information equipments (e.g., a personal computer, a mobileterminal, such as a smartphone, or a video conference system) may beincluded as the devices.

Each of the devices including the MFP 200 and the projector 300transmits usage data indicating a status of use of each of the devicesto the device management apparatus 100 at predetermined times. Examplesof the predetermined times include, but not limited to, times at regularintervals (e.g., for every day, for every week, or for every month),times when a request is received from the device management apparatus100, times when a power is turned on, times when a conference is held,and times when a predetermined operation is performed.

The device management apparatus 100 is an information processingapparatus that manages a plurality of devices connected to the network.As illustrated in FIG. 1, the device management apparatus 100 mainlyincludes an input unit 101, a display unit 107, a report generating unit102, a provision data calculating unit 103, a common data acquiring unit104, a collecting unit 105, a communication interface 106 (hereinafter,described as the “communication I/F 106”).

The device management apparatus 100 is connected to a storage device150. The storage device 150 is a storage medium, such as a hard diskdrive device (HDD) or a memory. The storage device 150 may be configuredas a part of the device management apparatus 100 or may be configured asa device separate from the device management apparatus 100. The storagedevice 150 stores therein a device management database 151 (hereinafter,described as the “the device management DB 151”) and usage data 152.

The device management DB 151 is a database for managing the devicesconnected to the network. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an exampleof the device management DB 151. As illustrated in FIG. 2, in the devicemanagement DB 151, a machine type name of each device, a machine number,and a department name to which each device belongs are registered in anassociated manner. The department name is referred to when usage data orthe like is added up for each department.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the usage data 152 is data indicating a statusof use of each device and is received from each device. The usage data152 contains information that differs for each device. FIG. 3 is adiagram for explaining an example of usage data 152 a of the MFP 200.And FIG. 3 is segmentalized and each segment parts are placed up anddown because of its wideness. As illustrated in FIG. 3, in the usagedata 152 a of the MFP 200, management items including a machine typename, a machine number, a model, an installation department, a subjectmonth, etc. and other items including a power consumption amount, a CO₂emission amount, the number of output sheets, etc. are registered. Here,the number of output sheets is an item specific to the MFP 200.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of usage data 152 b of theprojector 300. And FIG. 4 is also segmentalized and each segment partsare placed up and down because of its wideness. As illustrated in FIG.4, in the usage data 152 b of the projector 300, management itemsincluding a machine type name, a machine number, a model, aninstallation department, a subject month, etc. and other items includingan operating time, a power consumption amount, a CO₂ emission amount, aCO₂ reduction amount, etc. are registered. In the first embodiment, theoperating time and the CO₂ reduction amount are items specific to theprojector 300. In this way, the usage data of each device contains aspecific item indicating the status of use of each device. In the caseof devices other than the MFP and the projector, for example, acommunication time may be used for a mobile terminal or a videoconference system and an operating time may be used for a personalcomputer.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the communication I/F 106 is a communicationdevice, such as a network board. The display unit 107 is a displaydevice, such as a display.

The collecting unit 105 receives and collects the above-described usagedata 152 from each of the devices including the MFP 200 and theprojector 300 via the communication I/F 106 and stores the collectedusage data 152 in the storage device 150.

The input unit 101 receives, as data (second data) on a use environmentof a device used by a user, input of conference information on aconference from the user. In the first embodiment, duration perconference, an average number of participants in a conference, and thenumber of sheets per document are used as the conference information;however, the present invention is not limited thereto.

In the first embodiment, the device management apparatus 100 displays aconference information input screen on the display unit 107, causes theuser to input the conference information via the conference informationinput screen, and causes the input unit 101 to receive the inputconference information.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of the conferenceinformation input screen according to the first embodiment. Asillustrated in FIG. 5, the duration per conference, the average numberof participants in a conference, and the number of sheets per documentcan be input as the conference information via the conferenceinformation input screen.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the common data acquiring unit 104 obtainscommon data that is common to a plurality of devices from the pieces ofthe usage data of the respective devices stored in the storage device150.

In the first embodiment, the number of output sheets (corresponding tofirst data) contained in the usage data of the MFP 200 serving as aspecific device among the devices is used as the common data. Therefore,the common data acquiring unit 104 determines the number of outputsheets in the usage data 152 a of the MFP 200 as the common data tothereby obtain the common data. The common data acquiring unit 104converts the usage data of each of the devices other than the MFP 200into the number of output sheets based on the conference information tothereby obtain the common data. Namely, the converted values serve asthe common data. In the first embodiment, the operating time (a totaltime etc.) contained in the usage data 152 b of the projector 300 isconverted into the number of output sheets (the common data), and theconverted value is used as the common data. In the first embodiment, thenumber of output sheets as the common data converted from the operatingtime is referred to as the number of reduced sheets.

Therefore, it is sufficient that the usage data 152 a of the MFP 200contains at least the number of output sheets and the usage data 152 bof the projector 300 contains at least the operating time.

The provision data calculating unit 103 calculates provision data thatis data to be provided to a user, based on the number of output sheetsand the number of reduced sheets that are the common data, and based onthe conference information. In the first embodiment, the provision datacalculating unit 103 calculates, as the provision data, data indicatinga reduction effect due to use of a device, in particular, dataconcerning a sheet reduction effect. The report generating unit 102generates a report that is report data based on the provision data.

A device management process according to the first embodiment configuredas above will be explained below. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating theflow of the device management process according to the first embodiment.The collecting unit 105 receives (acquires) and collects the usage data152 from each of the devices including the MFP 200 and the projector 300at predetermined times (Step S11).

The device management apparatus 100 displays the conference informationinput screen illustrated in FIG. 5 on the display unit 107, and theinput unit 101 receives input of the conference information from a userto acquire the conference information (the duration per conference, theaverage number of participants in a conference, and the number of sheetsper document) (Step S12). The common data acquiring unit 104 obtainscommon data from the usage data of the projector 300 or the like otherthan the MFP 200 (Step S13).

A common data acquisition process at Step S13 will be explained indetail below. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the commondata acquisition process. In FIG. 7, a case will be explained that thenumber of output sheets (the number of reduced sheets) is used as thecommon data. Therefore, in FIG. 7, an example is explained in which thenumber of output sheets contained in the usage data 152 a of the MFP 200is obtained as it is as the common data and the number of output sheets(the number of reduced sheets) to be the common data is obtained fromthe operating time contained in the usage data 152 b of the projector300; however, the present invention is not limited thereto.

The common data acquiring unit 104 reads the usage data 152 a of the MFP200 from the storage device 150 and determines the number of outputsheets contained in the usage data 152 a as the common data (Step S31).The common data acquiring unit 104 then reads the usage data 152 b ofthe projector 300 from the storage device 150 and calculates a totaltime spent for operations of the projector (a projector total time) fromthe usage data 152 b (Step S32).

Specifically, when a report on the total of all departments isgenerated, the common data acquiring unit 104 acquires a value of theoutput sheets (calculated value) in the field of “sum total” from theusage data 152 a of the MFP 200 and determines the acquired value as thecommon data. The common data acquiring unit 104 also acquires a totaltime in the item of “total” of “operating time” in the field of “sumtotal” from the usage data 152 b of the projector 300 and determines theacquired total time as the projector total time. When a report on eachdepartment is generated, the common data acquiring unit 104 adds up thenumbers of outputs (calculated value) in the item of “number of outputsheets” in the usage data 152 a of the MFP 200 for each department, andadds up times in the item of “total” of “operating time” in the usagedata 152 b of the projector 300 for each department to obtain theprojector total time. When a report on each machine type is generated,the common data acquiring unit 104 adds up the numbers of outputs(calculated value) in the item of “number of output sheets” in the usagedata 152 a of the MFP 200 for each machine type, and adds up times inthe item of “total” of “operating time” in the usage data 152 b of theprojector 300 for each machine type to obtain the projector total time.

The common data acquiring unit 104 calculates the number of conferencesbased on the duration per conference contained in the conferenceinformation acquired at Step S12 and based on the projector total timecalculated at Step S32 (Step S33). Specifically, the common dataacquiring unit 104 calculates the number of conferences according toEquation (1) below.The number of conferences=(the projector total time)/(the duration perconference)  (1)

The common data acquiring unit 104 calculates the number of outputsheets at one conference based on the average number of participants andthe number of sheets per document contained in the conferenceinformation acquired at Step S12 (Step S34). Specifically, the commondata acquiring unit 104 calculates the number of output sheets at oneconference according to Equation (2) below.The number of output sheets at one conference=(an average number ofparticipants)×(the number of sheets per document)  (2)

The common data acquiring unit 104 calculates the number of reducedsheets due to the projector and determines the calculated number as thecommon data (Step S35). Specifically, the common data acquiring unit 104calculates the number of reduced sheets of the projector according toEquation (3) below.The number of reduced sheets of the projector=(the number ofconferences)×(the number of output sheets at one conference)  (3)

Referring back to FIG. 6, when acquisition of the common data iscompleted as described above, the provision data calculating unit 103calculates a sheet reduction effect based on the number of output sheetsof the MFP 200 (determined at Step S31) and based on the number ofreduced sheets of the projector 300 (calculated at Step S35), both ofwhich are the common data (Step S14). Specifically, the provision datacalculating unit 103 calculates, as the sheet reduction effect, a ratio(%) of the number of reduced sheets of the projector to the number ofoutput sheets of the MFP 200.

The report generating unit 102 generates a report based on theconference information, the number of output sheets of the MFP 200, thenumber of reduced sheets of the projector, and the sheet reductioneffect (Step S15), and outputs the generated report by displaying it onthe display unit 107, transmitting it to the other devices via thenetwork, or transmitting it to a predetermined email address (Step S16).For example, a report may be provided with a function to execute acalculation, such as a macro in a spreadsheet file. Specifically, it maybe possible to allow the conference information to be input or modifiedin the output report such that when the conference information isupdated, the calculations explained in FIG. 7 are executed by acalculation execution function, such as a macro, provided in the reportin accordance with the updated conference information so that items,such as the sheet reduction effect, in the report can be updated withthe calculated values. With this configuration, a user who has receivedthe output report can input the conference information according to theactual conditions and can obtain information, such as the sheetreduction effect, according to the actual conditions.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an example of the conferenceinformation, the number of reduced sheets, and the sheet reductioneffect. The number of reduced sheets and the sheet reduction effectillustrated in FIG. 8 are example calculation results obtained based onthe usage data of the MFP 200 illustrated in FIG. 3 and the usage dataof the projector 300 illustrated in FIG. 4 when the conferenceinformation with the values in the upper portion in FIG. 8 is input.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining an example of the report generated atStep S15. In FIG. 9, the calculation results illustrated in FIG. 8 areused, and information on the CO₂ emission amount and the CO₂ reductionamount are also recorded. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 9, it may bepossible to obtain information on the CO₂ reduction amount as thereduction effect and include the information in the report.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the usage data ofeach of the devices is converted into the common data that is common toall the devices, the provision data to be provided to a user iscalculated based on the common data, and a report is generated andoutput based on the provision data. Therefore, it is possible to acquirethe status of use from a plurality of devices and provide variousservices.

Second Embodiment

In the first embodiment, the MFP and the projector are used as thedevices. However, in a second embodiment, a television (TV) conferenceterminal and a media board that are devices used via a network, such ascloud computing, are additionally used as the devices.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a network configuration of adevice management system and a functional configuration of a devicemanagement apparatus according to the second embodiment. As illustratedin FIG. 10, the device management system according to the secondembodiment includes a plurality of devices, such as the MFP 200, theprojector 300, TV conference terminals 400, media boards 500, and adevice management apparatus 1100, all of which are connected to anetwork, such as the Internet or a LAN. In the second embodiment, thedevices connected to the device management apparatus 1100 includedevices of different types, such as the MFP 200 described above, theprojector 300 described above, the TV conference terminals 400, and themedia boards 500. The MFP 200 and the projector 300 are the same asthose of the first embodiment.

The TV conference terminals 400 and the media boards 500 are networkequipments that are used via a network, such as cloud computing. The TVconference terminals 400 are terminals for realizing a teleconferenceusing video and audio with the TV conference terminals 400 at differentlocations via the network. The media boards 500 are devices for sharinginformation with other media boards 500 via the network. For example, acontent written on any of the media boards 500 is also displayed on theother media boards 500 via the network. The TV conference terminals 400and the media boards 500 are used for a conference with users of the TVconference terminals 400 and the media boards 500 at other locations.

In the second embodiment, the MFP 200, the projector 300, the TVconference terminals 400, and the media boards 500 are described asexamples of the devices; however, the present invention is not limitedthereto. For example, other image forming apparatuses or otherinformation equipments (e.g., a personal computer or a mobile terminal,such as a smartphone) may be included as the devices.

Each of the devices including the MFP 200, the projector 300, the TVconference terminals 400, and the media boards 500 transmits usage dataindicating a status of use of each of the devices to the devicemanagement apparatus 1100 at predetermined times, similarly to the firstembodiment. Examples of the predetermined times include, but not limitedto, times at regular intervals (e.g., for every day, for every week, orfor every month), times when a request is received from the devicemanagement apparatus 1100, times when a power is turned on, times when aconference is held, and times when a predetermined operation isperformed.

Each of the TV conference terminal 400 and the media board 500 generatesconference history data as a history of conferences in which a user ofeach of the TV conference terminal 400 and the media board 500 hasparticipated, and stores the conference history data in own storageunit. Each of the TV conference terminal 400 and the media board 500adds data to the conference history data every time a conference isheld, that is, every time the TV conference terminal 400 or the mediaboard 500 is used. Each of the TV conference terminal 400 and the mediaboard 500 transmits the conference history data to the device managementapparatus 1100 at predetermined times. Examples of the predeterminedtimes, at which the conference history data is transmitted, include, butnot limited to, times at regular intervals (e.g., for every day, forevery week, or for every month), times when a request is received fromthe device management apparatus 1100, times when a power is turned on,times when a conference is held, and times when a predeterminedoperation is performed.

An application server 1000 is connected to the device managementapparatus 1100 via the network. The application server 1000 functions asa server for a TV conference performed by the TV conference terminals400 and a server for data sharing between the media boards 500.

The device management apparatus 1100 is an information processingapparatus that manages a plurality of devices connected to the network.As illustrated in FIG. 10, the device management apparatus 1100 mainlyincludes an input unit 1101, the display unit 107, the report generatingunit 102, the provision data calculating unit 103, a common dataacquiring unit 1104, a collecting unit 1105, and the communication I/F106. The functions of the display unit 107, the report generating unit102, the provision data calculating unit 103, and the communication I/F106 are the same as those of the first embodiment.

The device management apparatus 1100 is connected to the storage device150 that is a storage medium, such as a HDD or a memory, similarly tothe first embodiment. The storage device 150 may be configured as a partof the device management apparatus 1100 or may be configured as a deviceseparate from the device management apparatus 1100. The storage device150 stores therein the device management DB 151, the usage data 152, andconference history data 1153. The device management DB 151 and the usagedata 152 of the MFP 200 and the projector 300 are the same as those ofthe first embodiment.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example of the usage data of the TV conferenceterminal 400 and the media board 500. And FIG. 11 is also segmentalizedand each segment parts are placed up and down because of its wideness.As illustrated in FIG. 11, in the usage data 152 of the TV conferenceterminal 400 and the media board 500, items including a machine typename, a terminal ID, an installation department name, a subject month, astatus of use of a device, a power consumption amount, a CO₂ emissionamount, etc. are registered.

Referring back to FIG. 10, the storage device 150 of the secondembodiment further stores therein the conference history data 1153. Theconference history data 1153 is received from the TV conference terminal400 and the media board 500.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example of the conference history data. Asillustrated in FIG. 12, in the conference history data, items includinga terminal ID as identification information, a terminal location, dateand time of participation in and exit from a conference, a time spentfor a conference, the number of participants, a location of other partyof a conference, number of locations, a destination ID that is the ID ofa terminal of the other party of a conference, etc. are registered.

Referring back to FIG. 10, the collecting unit 1105 has the samefunctions as those of the first embodiment, receives the above-describedconference history data from each of the TV conference terminal 400 andthe media board 500, and stores the received conference history data inthe storage device 150.

The input unit 1101 receives input of the number of sheets per documentthat is the second data from a user via the conference information inputscreen. Specifically, in the second embodiment, the device managementapparatus 1100 displays the conference information input screen on thedisplay unit 107, causes the user to input the number of sheets perdocument via the conference information input screen, and causes theinput unit 1101 to receive the input conference information.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an example of the conferenceinformation input screen according to the second embodiment. Asillustrated in FIG. 13, the number of sheets per document can be inputas the conference information via the conference information inputscreen. In the second embodiment, unlike in the first embodiment, theduration per conference and the average number of participants in aconference are not input via the conference information input screen.The duration per conference and the average number of participants in aconference are calculated from the conference history data by the commondata acquiring unit 1104.

Referring back to FIG. 10, the common data acquiring unit 1104 obtainscommon data from the usage data, based on the duration per conferencecalculated by the common data acquiring unit 1104 and based on theoperating time and the number of participants contained in theconference history data. In the second embodiment, the number of reducedsheets is used as the common data.

The common data acquiring unit 1104 of the second embodiment calculatesthe number of output sheets in the same manner as in the firstembodiment. In this case, the common data acquiring unit 1104 obtainsthe duration per conference and the average number of participants fromthe contents of the conference history data and uses them for thecalculation. Specifically, the common data acquiring unit 1104calculates the duration per conference based on the operating timecontained in the conference history data and obtains the average numberof participants based on the number of participants contained in theconference history data. Thereafter, the common data acquiring unit 1104calculates the number of reduced sheets in the same manner as in thefirst embodiment.

The common data acquiring unit 1104 can obtain not only the common dataof one party of the conference but also the common data of the TVconference terminal 400 or the media board 500 of the other party of theconference by using the number of participants contained in theconference history data of the TV conference terminal 400 or the mediaboard 500 of the other party. Namely, usage of the TV conferenceterminal 400 or the media board 500 of the other party of the conferenceat a location may be included in this embodiment. Whether the usage ofthe TV conference terminal 400 or the media board 500 of the other partyof the conference at a location is included or not may be set in advanceby a user through an input operation or the like.

FIGS. 14A and 14B are diagrams for explaining calculation of the commondata of the destination TV conference terminal 400 or the media board500 of the other party of a conference. When the usage of the TVconference terminal 400 or the media board 500 of the other party of theconference at a location is included, as illustrated in FIGS. 14A and14B, the common data acquiring unit 1104 searches for records (tworecords denoted by 1301 and 1302), in each of which a terminal ID of oneconference history data is registered as a destination ID in the otherconference history data, from among records in the conference historydata. Specifically, FIGS. 14A and 14B respectively illustrate theconference history data at two locations. A terminal ID of the record1301 in FIG. 14A is the same as the destination ID of the record 1302that is the other conference history data in FIG. 14B, and vice versa.That is, the records 1301 and 1302 are information on the sameconference. Therefore, the common data acquiring unit 1104 calculatesthe common data of each of the parties of the conference by using thenumber of participants and the operating time registered in each of therecords 1301 and 1302.

A device management process according to the second embodimentconfigured as above will be explained below. FIG. 15 is a flowchartillustrating the flow of the device management process according to thesecond embodiment. In FIG. 15, an example will be explained in which thenumber of output sheets (the number of reduced sheets) is obtained asthe common data from the usage data of the TV conference terminal 400 orthe media board 500; however, the present invention is not limitedthereto.

The common data acquiring unit 1104 reads the usage data and theconference history data of the TV conference terminal 400 or the mediaboard 500 from the storage device 150 (Step S51). The common dataacquiring unit 1104 receives, as the conference information, the numberof sheets per document from a user via the conference information inputscreen (Step S52).

The common data acquiring unit 1104 determines whether the usage of theTV conference terminal 400 or the media board 500 of the other party ofthe conference at a location is included or not in calculation of thecommon data, based on a setting or the like made by the user (Step S53).

When it is determined that the usage of the TV conference terminal 400or the media board 500 of the other party of the conference at alocation is included (YES at Step S53), the common data acquiring unit1104 acquires conference history data of a corresponding terminal IDfrom the storage device 150 with reference to a destination ID recordedin a row in conference history data of one party, extracts a row(record) of the same conference from the acquired conference historydata, and obtains the number of participants at a location of the otherparty (Step S54). The common data acquiring unit 1104 calculates thenumber of reduced sheets of the other party by using the number ofparticipants contained in the conference history data of the other party(Step S55).

On the other hand, at Step S53, when it is determined that the usage ofthe TV conference terminal 400 or the media board 500 of the other partyof the conference at a location is not included (NO at Step S53), thecommon data acquiring unit 1104 calculates the number of reduced sheetsper conference by using the number of participants contained in theconference history data of one party (Step S56).

The common data acquiring unit 1104 calculates the number of reducedsheets per conference (Step S57). The processes from Step S53 to S57 arerepeated for all the rows (records) within a predetermined period in theconference history data.

The common data acquiring unit 1104 calculates a total number of reducedsheets at the conferences within the predetermined period (Step S58).

The provision data calculating unit 103 calculates the sheet reductioneffect based on the number of output sheets of the MFP 200 within thesame period and based on the result value calculated in the aboveprocess (Step S59). The report generating unit 102 generates a reportbased on the conference information, the number of output sheets of theMFP 200, the number of reduced sheets of the TV conference terminal 400or the media board 500, and the sheet reduction effect calculated in theabove process (Step S60). The report generating unit 102 outputs thegenerated report to the display unit 107 (Step S61).

FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining a display example of the generatedreport according to the second embodiment. In the display example inFIG. 16, the number of sheets per document is changeable based on inputby a user. When the user inputs the number of sheets per document andpresses a recalculation button on the display, the above process isexecuted again and the recalculated number of reduced sheets isdisplayed.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, the TVconference terminals 400 and the media boards 500 used via a network,such as cloud computing, are used as the devices, and the duration perconference and the average number of participants in the conference areobtained from the conference history data without having to receive themfrom a user. Therefore, it is possible to provide various services whilereducing load on the user.

Furthermore, according to the second embodiment, the common data, suchas the number of reduced sheets, of the other party of a conference iscalculated. Therefore, it is possible to more effectively providevarious services.

Third Embodiment

In a third embodiment, a cost reduction effect based on an operatingtime is calculated as the provision data from an inter-location cost fora conference, and the calculated effect is provided as a report.

A network configuration of a device management system and a functionalconfiguration of the device management apparatus 1100 according to thethird embodiment are the same as those of the second embodiment.

In the third embodiment, the device management apparatus 1100 stores, asinter-location cost data, a cost of travel between locations at whichthe conference is held by using the TV conference terminal 400 or themedia board 500 in the storage device 150. FIG. 17 illustrates anexample of the inter-location cost data. As indicated by theinter-location cost data in FIG. 17, the cost increases with an increasein the distance between the locations.

The provision data calculating unit 103 according to the thirdembodiment obtains a cost of travel between locations, eachcorresponding to different conference history data such that theterminal ID of one conference history data and a destination ID of theother conference history data are identical, on the basis of theabove-mentioned inter-location cost data. The provision data calculatingunit 103 then calculates, as the provision data, the cost reductioneffect based on the obtained cost.

FIGS. 18A and 18B are diagrams for explaining calculation of the costreduction effect according to the third embodiment. FIGS. 18A and 18Brespectively illustrate the conference history data at two locations. Aterminal ID of a record 1701 in FIG. 18A is the same as the destinationID of a record 1702 that is the other conference history data in FIG.18B, and vice versa. That is, the records 1701 and 1702 are informationon the same conference.

The provision data calculating unit 103 calculates, with reference tothe conference history data, a cost needed when a predetermined numberof participants at each location move to a destination location, foreach conference in accordance with an inter-location cost table. Theprovision data calculating unit 103 then calculates a cost for eachconference, and obtains a reduced cost per unit, such as per month.

For example, in the example in FIGS. 18A and 18B, the provision datacalculating unit 103 calculates a cost according to Equation (4) belowby referring to the inter-location cost data in the example in FIG. 17based on the conference history data of the location in FIG. 18A.The number of participants (3)×one-way cost (400 yen)×2=2400 yen  (4)

The provision data calculating unit 103 calculates a cost according toEquation (5) below by referring to the inter-location cost data in theexample in FIG. 17 based on the conference history data of the locationillustrated in FIG. 18B.The number of participants (1)×one-way cost (400 yen)×2=800 yen  (5)

The provision data calculating unit 103 compares results of Equations(4) and (5) and determines 800 yen, which is the calculation result ofEquation (5) and which is cheaper, as the cost reduction effect.

A provision data calculation process performed by the device managementapparatus 1100 according to the third embodiment configured as abovewill be explained below. FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating the flow ofthe provision data calculation process according to the thirdembodiment.

The provision data calculating unit 103 reads the usage data and theconference history data of the TV conference terminals 400 or the mediaboards 500 from the storage device 150 (Step S81). The provision datacalculating unit 103 receives input of the number of sheets perdocument, as the conference information, from a user via the conferenceinformation input screen (Step S82).

The provision data calculating unit 103 acquires conference history dataof a corresponding terminal ID from the storage device 150 withreference to a destination ID in a row in conference history data of oneparty, extracts a row of the same conference from the acquiredconference history data, and obtains the number of participants at alocation of the other party (Step S83). The provision data calculatingunit 103 calculates a cost needed when members at the other locationmove to a subject location by referring to the inter-location cost data(Step S84). The cost calculation is repeated for each location.

The provision data calculating unit 103 determines, as the costreduction effect for the conference, the cheapest cost among the costscalculated for each location (Step S85).

The processes from Step S83 to Step S85 are repeated for all the rows(records) within a predetermined period in the conference history data.

The provision data calculating unit 103 calculates a total costreduction effects at the conferences within the predetermined period inthe conference history data (Step S86).

The processes from Step S81 to Step S86 are repeated the same number oftimes as the number of terminals (the TV conference terminals 400 andthe media boards 500) used at the location.

The provision data calculating unit 103 calculates a total costreduction effect of all the terminals (the TV conference terminals 400and the media boards 500) at the location (Step S87). The reportgenerating unit 102 generates a report based on the cost reductioneffect at the location and based on the cost reduction effect for eachterminal ID and the cost reduction effect for each conference that aredetailed data of the cost reduction effect (Step S88). The reportgenerating unit 102 outputs the generated report to the display unit 107(Step S89).

FIG. 20 is a diagram for explaining a display example of the generatedreport according to the third embodiment. As illustrated in the displayexample in FIG. 20, the cost reduction effect of a location and the costreduction effect for each terminal ID and the cost reduction effect foreach conference as detailed data are displayed.

As described above, according to the third embodiment, the costreduction effect is obtained as the provision data from the conferencehistory data and outputs it as a report. Therefore, it is possible toenhance the usability for a user.

Modification

In the above embodiments, the number of reduced sheets, which is an itemof the usage data of the MFP 200, is calculated as the common data basedon the usage data or the conference history data of a network-basedequipments, such as the TV conference terminals 400 or the media boards500.

Meanwhile, when the usage data or the conference history data of thenetwork-based equipments, such as the TV conference terminals 400 or themedia boards 500, and the usage data or the common data of the projector300 are obtained, it is sufficient to compare the power consumptionamounts or the CO₂ emission amounts as the common data as illustrated inFIGS. 21A and 21B. Each diagram of FIGS. 21A and 21B is segmentalizedand each segment parts are placed up and down because of its wideness,and each FIGS. 21A and 21B need to be cross-referred for theabove-mentioned comparison.

The device management apparatuses 100 and 1100 according to the first tothe third embodiments include a control device, such as a centralprocessing unit (CPU); a storage device, such as a read only memory(ROM) or a random access memory (RAM); an external storage device, suchas a HDD or a compact disk (CD) drive; a display device, such as adisplay; and an input device, such as a keyboard or a mouse, and have ahardware configuration using a normal computer.

A device management program executed by the device managementapparatuses 100 and 1100 according to the first to the third embodimentsis provided by being recorded in a computer-readable recording medium,such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a compact disk recordable(CD-R), or a digital versatile disk (DVD), in a computer-installable ora computer-executable file format.

The device management program executed by the device managementapparatuses 100 and 1100 according to the first to the third embodimentsmay be provided by being stored in a computer connected to a network,such as the Internet, so as to be downloaded via the network. The devicemanagement program executed by the device management apparatus 100 and1100 according to the first to the third embodiments may be provided ordistributed via a network, such as the Internet.

The device management program executed by the device managementapparatuses 100 and 1100 according to the first to the third embodimentsmay be provided by being stored in a ROM or the like.

The device management program executed by the device managementapparatuses 100 and 1100 according to the first to the third embodimentshave a module structure including the above units (the input unit 101 or1101, the report generating unit 102, the provision data calculatingunit 103, the common data acquiring unit 104 or 1104, and the collectingunit 105 or 1105). As actual hardware, a CPU (processor) reads thedevice management program from the recording medium and executes it toload the above units on the main storage device, thereby generating theinput unit 101 or 1101, the report generating unit 102, the provisiondata calculating unit 103, the common data acquiring unit 104 or 1104,and the collecting unit 105 or 1105 on the main storage device.

In the embodiments, the number of output sheets in the usage data 152 aof the MFP 200 is used as the common data; however, this is by way ofexample only and the present invention is not limited thereto. Forexample, as long as data is made common to a plurality of devices, thedata of other items may be used as the common data.

In the embodiments, data contained in the usage data 152 a of the MFP200 is used as the common data, and the operating time in the usage data152 b of the projector 300 or the usage data of the other devices isconverted into the data contained in the usage data 152 a of the MFP 200to obtain the common data; however, it is not limited thereto. Forexample, the common data acquiring unit 104 may be configured to obtaincommon data by using, as common data, data that is not contained in anyof the usage data of a plurality of devices, and convert the usage dataof the devices into the data that is not contained in the usage data.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible toacquire the status of use from a plurality of devices and providevarious services.

Although the invention has been described with respect to specificembodiments for a complete and clear disclosure, the appended claims arenot to be thus limited but are to be construed as embodying allmodifications and alternative constructions that may occur to oneskilled in the art that fairly fall within the basic teaching herein setforth.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device management apparatus, comprising: anetwork interface to connect to a plurality of devices via a network; aprocessor configured to receive usage data indicating a status of use ofeach of the devices from each of the devices; obtain common data that iscommon to the devices from the usage data of each of the devices;calculate provision data to be provided to a user using the common data,the provision data including at least a reduction effect indicating areduction in use of resources by the devices; and generate report datausing the provision data.
 2. The device management apparatus accordingto claim 1, wherein the devices are of different types.
 3. The devicemanagement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the obtaining ofcommon data determines predetermined first data included in the statusof use of a specific device among the devices as the common data andconverts the predetermine first data of each of the devices other thanthe specific device into the first data to obtain the common data. 4.The device management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: one ofsaid devices is an image forming apparatus having a printing function,and the common data is number of output sheets printed by the imageforming apparatus.
 5. The device management apparatus according to claim1, wherein the common data is data of a sheet reduction effect.
 6. Thedevice management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reductioneffect is based on use of one of the plurality of devices.
 7. The devicemanagement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the report dataincludes a graph showing the reduction effect.
 8. The device managementapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the report data includes aresult showing the reduction effect.
 9. The device management apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the reduction effect is related to anumber of output sheets.
 10. The device management apparatus accordingto claim 1, wherein the reduction effect is related to a CO₂ emissionamount.
 11. A non-transitory computer readable medium includinginstructions for causing a computer to execute a method comprising:receiving usage data indicating a status of use of each of a pluralityof devices connected to a network; obtaining common data that is commonto the devices from the usage data of each of the devices; calculatingprovision data to be provided to a user using the common data, theprovision data including at least a reduction effect indicating areduction in use of resources by the devices; and generating report datausing the provision data.